Maruia, New Zealand
Hike the Lewis Pass Tops Route
5.6 Miles Total - 2624.7 ft gain - Out-and-Back Trail
Originally added by Tobin Akehurst
This hike starts at the height on Lewis Pass. It quickly climbs above the tree line and at the end of the maintained trail you follow a beautiful ridge walk to a high alpine basin. At the end of the route there are three mountains to climb and plenty of spots to set up camp.
Park at the well marked Saint James Walkway Car Park. You will find the Lewis Pass Tops Trail Head across the street. The trail begins by climbing steeply through beech forest and then breaks through the tree line before arriving at the ridge crest. The maintained trail ends here but the route is fairly easy to follow. Continue following the ridge crest past several ponds for a few kilometers.
Once you reach the end of the ridge crest look to hikers left for a cairned route through the bluffs, down into the basin between Mt. Technical and The Apprentice. The basin offers opportunities for continued exploration or camping. An ascent of the Apprentice or Lucretia is a fairly straightforward hike depending on route finding. Mt. Technical's west ridge is an exposed, difficult scramble.
Return the way you came.
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